DEVO: Sealed And Sent

DEVO: Sealed And Sent

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” –John 14:15 & 26

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. … the crowd gathered and was bewildered because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.” Acts 2: 4,6

We celebrated Pentecost on Sunday – the day where the promise Jesus made as he ascended comes true.

As Jesus was leaving, he promised he would not leave us alone.

And then on Pentecost, we are given the Spirit.

So what? What does that mean for us?

The Spirit is a complicated thing to understand, but what we DO know about the Spirit is what it does for us.

“The Spirit will remind you of all I have said”

We are named and claimed and sealed and called children of God. And the Spirit is there to remind us of that truth each and every day.

And then, just like the disciples, we are sent.

We are sent into the world to share this good news with others.

And like the disciples, we are sent into a world where people don’t always speak the same language.

No, I don’t mean English and Hmong and Somali and Spanish – I mean different languages of life.

Have you ever wondered how three people can hear the same message but hear three different things? And they say things like “it felt like it was just for me” or I heard “just what I needed to hear” that day.

That’s how the Holy Spirit works.

And your words, your story, your experiences, matter.

You bring the Gospel to people in a way that no other person can. Because it’s you.

The Holy Spirit working in you and through you.

You are sent. Yes you.

And you matter.

Your voice matters. Your story matters.

So go and share the good news, tell the story, tell your story.

Questions to Ponder or Discuss1. Have you ever heard the same message differently than someone else? What happened? How were they different? Why do you think you heard it that way?
2. What is unique about your story that might be important to share?
3. How can you be sent by the Spirit, with your unique voice and gifts, into the world where you live?

LIVE IT!Take some time this week and reflect on what makes your story unique and where the Spirit might be calling you to share it. It’s outside of our comfort zones to be sure, but Jesus promised we wouldn’t go alone, and told us to not be afraid. So let’s get to it!